Illusions of Light
by lapina-theobserver
Summary: After the Mark of Mastery Exam, everyone is on edge about Xehanort's plan and Sora's safety. In an attempt to stop the man of darkness, Riku is sent out on a mission and specifically instructed NOT TO BRING SORA. But that has never stopped him before. Thrust into new and captivating worlds both boys fight to remain away from the looming threat.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters that appear in it. **

**S: If we did then Vanitas would appear, just to troll Sora XD. **

**Z: Speak for yourself.**

**S: I apologize for any and all improper grammar…**

**Sora: Sora is here :D **

**S: *punches Sora* WTH man?! What are you doing here?!**

**Sora: *rubbing face* I heard there was going to be sea-salt ice-cream…**

**S: GTFO!**

* * *

Footsteps resonated off the walls of the empty corridor as I raced down the hallway, a black cloak slung over my shoulder, billowing behind me.

"That damn bastard. How dare he wake me up just to go to his shitty meeting; I bet he just wants to bitch about how he once again failed miserably." I grumbled under my breath, unsure of the words exact meaning but aware of their connotation.

_Where am I,_ I wondered as I approached the only visible landmark in the long white hallway: its end. Before reaching the door, however, I threw the black cloak over my head, cursing as it got caught on my arm.

"Got to look my best for the _Master,_" I sneered, rolling my eyes as I held a hand out. Suddenly, darkness coiled out of the tips of my finger swirling around until they settled, forming a dark mirror with an intricate curling design. Still startled from the appearance of darkness, I looked into the mirror, expecting to see sky blue eyes surrounded with a spiky mass of chestnut hair.

But it was not there.

Instead, cruel golden eyes, with a longing to inflict pain on others, stared back. A smirk crept onto the pale face, as if to mock my shock.

"Heh. What's the matter, Sora? Scared of your own reflection?"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" a blood curdling scream echoed over the Islands. A teenage boy sat up in his bed, drenched in sweat as if he had just run a marathon. "No," he whispered, "Oh god, NO!" The boy scrambled out of bed, tripping over a wooden sword, as he ran toward the bathroom. Shutting the door behind himself, he shut his eyes, afraid to look at his reflection. Slowly, he gained the courage to look up and glimpse at the mirror. The boy let out a sigh of relief, "It's ok, Sora. It was just a dream… just a dream." He turned on the faucet and splashed water in his face, trying to wash away the dream.

"Sora," Sora heard his father, "are you alright in there?"

"Yeah Dad, just a nightmare…"

"You've been having a lot of those lately, is there something you want to talk about?"

"No Dad, I'm fine." _Well except for some the crazed darkness obsessed freak that is trying to take over my body and almost succeeded when I was taking the Mark of Mastery Exam to become a Keyblade Master. Because a few years back the islands were destroyed and I discovered that I could fight the embodiment of darkness in people's hearts with a giant magic key. And thus started a grand adventure around the various secret worlds with a dog and a duck in which I lost my heart, my body, and a year of my life among some things. But other than that, doing fine. _Sora added to himself.

"I wish you would open up, Sora, you've been acting weird ever since you came back from that fishing trip with Riku."

"Really Dad, I'm fine," Sora opened the door, pointed at his face with a smile, and looked his father in the eye, "See."

His father sighed, "I can see that Sora, but you're still acting funny. Did you and Riku do _anything_ you're not telling me on the fishing trip?" Sora's dad stared into his son's eyes, "or are you scared of sleeping alone now? If that is true, I'm pretty sure that Kairi would _love_ to make sure you don't have any more nightmares." His father gave him a wink.

"Dad, I-I don't know what you are talking about," Sora replied nervously. _Does he know about the Mark of Mastery Exam and Riku saving me from the darkness?_ "I should really go back to sleep now, good night!" Sora scampered off to his room before he could be interrogated further.

"Ah, that boy still has much to learn. But, I wonder which of the two was the one that made him so nervous." Sora's dad wondered aloud as his son closed the door to his room.

Sora sighed as he locked the door to his room. _Leave it to Dad to make having a nightmare awkward, _Sora fell back into his bed clutching his head as he thought back to his dream, _but what was with that dream, and why did I look like that._ The more Sora thought about the dream, the more questions filled his mind. He lay in his room for hours, staring at the ceiling, until rays of light started to stream into his room as the sun came out.

* * *

"Arghhhh! That is it," he yelled in frustration, "I'm going to see Master Yen Sid! He should know more about dreams than I do!" Sora jumped out of bed and ran out of the house, muttering to himself about why he hadn't thought of this before. He was completely engrossed in his mission until he heard giggles coming from behind him. He spun around in time to see some girls, blushing and pointing at him. He looked down. Even in the cold morning air, Sora could still feel the warmth that blossomed on his cheeks as he realized that he was still wearing his muscle shirt and heart-covered boxers.

"As soon as I get dressed," Sora mumbled as he ran back to his house.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" A loud noise rippled across the night air, causing a sleeping teen to jerk awake. He jumped up, looked around to making sure he was in no immediate danger, then sighed and pushed his silver hair out of his face. He tried to process the scream. _Who would be yelling at this ungodly hour?_ His eyes wandered to the window as lights from other houses started to turn on, all occupants wondering the same thing. Then it hit him: _Sora._ The teen closed his eyes and allowed his senses to take over; he directed them toward a specific house. _Right, past 3 houses, then left, past one house,_ he thought to himself as he followed the path to his best friend's house. He breathed a sigh of relief as his senses made it to the house and he focused on it. _There doesn't seem to be any extra darkness, not to mention anything that may be connected to Xehanort._ The young man smacked his forehead,

"If Xehanort had come to the Islands then I would have been able to sense him, if not at least _smell_ him," he ran his hand through his hair, "but if Xehanort isn't here, then what was Sora yelling about?" The young man didn't dwell on these thoughts long before noticing that he'd fallen asleep on the couch in the living room. He sighed. Ever since he had come back from the Mark of Mastery exam he had driven himself to exhaustion to make sure nothing happened to Sora. He rubbed his temples as he made his way up to the bathroom.

Closing the door behind him, the young man squirted some toothpaste onto his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth in a slow, rhythmic fashion, half-asleep. He stared into the mirror, straight into his aquamarine eyes as he continued to wonder, _why was Sora screaming?_ Abandoning his thoughts, he looked into the mirror, with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, remembering a time when his eyes had been stained by the golden touch of the Dark Keyblade Master. He closed his eyes, _I will not allow Sora to suffer that fate,_ he silently promised himself.

"Master Riku," out of nowhere a familiar voice sounded.

"What?" Riku's eyes flew open and found themselves face to face with an old man, with a long beard and small eyes. Riku started to cough, choking on the toothpaste in his mouth, "The hell, what in the worlds?"

"Master Riku, are you alright?" an old gravelly voice resonated from the mirror again.

"Yes, Master Yen Sid," Riku replied, wiping the left over toothpaste from around his mouth, "is something wrong? Is there any more information on Xehanort? Or his whereabouts? Or-"the new Keyblade Master's rapid fire questions were was cut off by the old Keyblade Master.

"Master Riku, I know you are concerned for your friend's safety, but you must understand: trying to get any information on Master Xehanort is not only difficult, but also dangerous. Not to mention that we also have a limited number of Keyblade Wielders, and even less Masters." The old mage stared at Riku, "This problem leads me to why I have contacted you. Master Riku, I know you wish to protect your friend from threat Master Xehanort poses, but in order to do that we must put an end to his plans." He paused, "I have a mission for you Master Riku, should you choose to accept it. "

Riku stared at the old master with wide eyes. If he left on a mission, Sora would be more vulnerable to Xehanort's attacks, but if he didn't go, who knew how long this would drag on for.

"Yes, Master Yen Sid, I accept."

* * *

**S: When the characters are in a dream, it is going to be in First Person, while the rest of the story is going to be in Third Person :P I think it sounds weird but **_**someone**_** insisted! *glare* Anyway, "Sora" should have kicked that door down, LIKE A BOSS. And it would be like him to forget to get dressed. Ah Sora, you have endless comic relief opportunities. And I have to apologize for that one reference if any of you caught it; I had to put that in there! (if you didn't see it then that ok!)**

**Z: -_-'**

**S: :D Deal with it.**

**Z: *smacks head* he won't even kick it down, just open.**

**S: ****You Suck****. May the Great Kingdom Hearts in the sky run you over with the Rikumobile.**

**Z: Speaking of the Rikumobile, has Riku killed you yet for stealing the keys?**

**S: T-T I have to run now; some guy with white hair is at my door, screeching like a crazy person about his car. Ciao-Ciao**

**Z: *sigh* Good bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Neither of us owns Kingdom Hearts…**

**Sorry for the short/late chapter! Another will be up soon to make up for it!**

**Early apology for any and all grammar mistakes (Thank spell check if not there would be spelling too)**

**Please point any out and they will be fixed!**

* * *

"Thank you for coming, Master Riku."

"Of course, Master. The mission you spoke of?" Riku looked at the master with pleading eyes. The faster he abolished the threat known as Xehanort, the faster all of his friends could live in peace. After he had all but plowed through the houses on the island, Riku had arrived at the gummi ship and flown to The Mysterious Tower.

"Have some patience, Master Riku. If you go charging into your quest now, it will no doubt hinder you. Perhaps, it will cause you to fail." Master Yen Sid took an agonizing pause, "Before you begin your quest, you will need this."

The Master held out a small token in his hand. Riku gingerly picked it up and looked at it. The object was small, about the size of his palm. The silver token was shaped like a heart with four protruding diamond shaped spikes forming a cross at the base. The back of the item had small metal loops that seemed like they would be used to secure the item to a belt or other object for safe keeping.

"This is the symbol for the keyblade wielders. I had planned on giving both you and Sora one when the Mark of Mastery Exam was over but pressing circumstances dictated otherwise."

Riku turned the trinket over again.

_Symbol for the keyblade wielders…._

The words echoed in his mind as his fingers traced the outline. He was finally a true keyblade wielder. Not a reject. Not a pawn of the darkness. Not some self-proclaimed master. Before, he had still had some self-doubts even though everyone, especially Sora, insisted that he was nothing if not a true friend and master. However now, now he held an ancient symbol, woven together with a calming power that pulsated from the metal, spoke the true message of what he had become.

_A Keyblade Master…._

Riku felt a prickling sensation around his eyes as he reached down to attach the trinket to his belt. He quickly looked up into Master Yen Sid's face. A trickle of amusement and pride seemed to adorn the wrinkled features before returning to their usually stoic demeanor.

"Thank you, Mas-,"

"You deserve it Master Riku. It will also help you in your following journey. This is a magical item that will grant you certain privileges in certain worlds. Worlds that only masters are allowed to enter. While it may be true that all keyblade wielders bear this symbol, the masters' are a bit special. They hold a slightly different power that assists them when passing into certain worlds. In your earlier missions, you traversed relatively normal worlds that would change your outward appearance when absolutely necessary. Some worlds, however, are more cautious and will cause more drastic changes. The magic within that item will lessen or negate the world's hold."

Riku looked to the item again, thankful for its protection, "Thank you Master." Riku waited for a moment, "The mission, Master?"

"Yes, of course." The elderly man stroked his beard, "as you must very well know Master Xehanort plans on forging the fabled ᵪ-blade and recreate the Keyblade war. To accomplish this he is attempting to gather thirteen darknesses and expects us to gain seven lights. Where we currently stand, we do not have seven keyblade wielders that are able to fight. The warriors of light that we have been able to gather include: yourself, King Mickey, Sora, Lea, and we are presently training Kairi." He paused to motion toward a nearby door where the faint 'thuds' of metal hitting wood could be heard, "If we are not able to stop Xehanort, we must have enough warriors to battle his threat. This will be part of your mission. There are three other keyblade wielders that would be willing to assist in our plight. Master Aqua: a most noble heart full of light; she is always ready to help a friend. Terra: a young man with the power of a master who fights with all of his strength to protect his friends; he would no doubt wish to combat the darkness. These two have been missing for more than a decade. There is also Ventus, a boy who thinks of nothing but those he cares for. His body was sealed in a safe place by Master Aqua before she vanished but, without his heart, he cannot assist us." Master Yen Sid stopped, face scrunched up as if in deep thought, "Master Riku!" Riku jumped as his named echoed off the walls, "Your mission is to look for information on Master Xehanort, his whereabouts, or his plans. If you find anything concerning Master Aqua, Terra, or Ventus, you are to either investigate or report back so another master can search for them,"

_In other words, not Sora_, Riku noted the connotation of the words and felt himself relax slightly.

"Finally, you must make sure of one thing," Master Yen Sid gave Riku a piercing stare with his beady eyes, "do not tell Sora about your mission. He would no doubt want to accompany you. This must not happen. We do not know if Xehanort is still targeting him; Sora may still be in grave danger. If Xehanort is able to… attain Sora, not only will we lose a friend and a warrior, but Xehanort will also be ready to strike. Sora is to stay here or within the protection of another Keyblade wielder. Is that clear?"

* * *

"Of course Master, I completely agree" Riku gave a short bow before being dismissed to begin his task.

Finally, you must make sure of one thing, do not tell Sora about your mission. He would no doubt want to accompany you. This must not happen."

Sora stumbled away from the door when he heard Master Yen Sid.

_Wh-Why? Why can't I go with Riku? I might not be a master but I've fought before! I saved the worlds before! I fought for two years with only Donald and Goofy by my side! Why can't I go with Riku, he's a master! What if he needs my help?_ Sora could feel his chest constrict as questions pounded away at his head, _I bet they don't want me to go because they think that I'm weak after having my heart fall into sleep! That it'll all happen again but this time I'll become the pawn and_- Sora smacked his head, _Idiot! That isn't true! And I bet Riku will think that I should go too! He'll want me to go!_

Sora rushed over to the door in time to hear, "Of course Master, I completely agree."

_Why Riku? Why can't I go? I just… don't want to lose anyone ever again. Please, let me go!_ Sora pleaded to his friend silently as he hid in the shadow of the door. Riku emerged from the room and strutted out of the tower. Sora looked between the paths: one leading to Master Yen Sid and the other leading to Riku.

_I won't lose anyone ever again._

Sora followed Riku out of the tower.

* * *

_It's not fair._

_It's the right thing to do._

_I should have brought him._

_He'll be safer at the tower._

_I should have at least told him._

_That would have only made him worry!_

Riku waged an internal war with himself as he directed the gummi ship toward his first stop. He was able to call a temporary armistice within himself as the world grew near.

Master Yen Sid had given him a small scroll with new worlds that had yet to be investigated. Riku sighed; he had long since overcome his childhood obsession with the outside world and often found it a lot more difficult to make connections with the locals, unlike Sora.

_Another reason you should have brought him_

Riku groaned as the conflict in his mind resumed. Tearing his mind away from his guilt, his eyes landed on the new world. According to Master Yen Sid, it had a unique way of fighting and offered a raw form of power.

Riku wasn't entirely sure what that was supposed to mean, but he figured if Xehanort was preparing himself for the final battle, he would send a new wave of enemies after the seven warriors of light. This new world was, apparently, a prime area to gather fighters.

_Hopefully I'll find the bastard there and this will be over._ Riku closed his eyes as the gummi ship breached the world's barrier and he prepared himself for the start of a new adventure.

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!**

**S: You are all such kind people T-T **

**S: Oh and just as a side note, this is not going to be a yaoi story! Just saying so if someone wanted that just letting them know that it isn't going to occur…**


	3. Chapter 3

**S: I just realized that we never put that there are DDD spoilers in this… Also this chapter is uber nerdy. *corner of shame***

**Disclaimer: The author does not own Kingdom Hearts or the mediaverse where this world is**

* * *

"Damn it," Riku muttered, "how much grass can there be in one world?"

The sea of green seemed endless as Riku cut down the tall foliage. The sun continued to beat down on his back as he headed toward the only landmark in the area: a large tree towering over the region. The young Keyblade Master approached the base of the trunk and heard a voice talking to what seemed like nothing. Riku peaked out and saw an old man sitting in the shade cast by the tree with a pen and a pad in his hands.

"Hmm, this isn't the right amount of syllables," the man contemplated to himself while chewing on the tip of his pencil.

_I wonder what he is doing._ Riku mused. He was about to move on when he saw a large shadow appear behind the man.

"Look out!" summoning his Keyblade, Riku sprung above the man and took his fighting stance.

"What! Young man, please calm down! That Crabby isn't wild!" the man frantically waved his arms trying to get Riku's attention.

"What are you talking about?" Riku cried as he tore his eyes away from the incoming opponent to the man behind him.

"Please, don't attack him young man!" The man ran up and in a brash movement grabbed Riku's keyblade, "He is with me. He isn't going to attack anyone."

Riku looked the man over. He had ash-brown hair and was wearing a long white lab coat as if he were some sort of mad scientist. However, what startled Riku the most were his eyes; they were filled with knowledge that one can only gain after years of experience and a kindness that reminisced of a kind a gentle heart.

"A keyblade huh, I haven't seen one of these in years. Not since Eraqus and Xehanort that is. But it'll do you little good here boy. On this world we don't fight in the manner that you do. It's too barbaric!" the man brought his hand to his chin and began to stroke it, "In any who, my name is Oak. I'm a professor on this here world."

"I'm Riku."

"It's nice to meet you Riku. To tell you the truth, I didn't think I would see another Keyblade wielder in my lifetime! It's been such a long time that I thought the secret was going to die with me!" Oak gave a nervous laugh, "Anyway, you'll get labeled a mad hooligan or worse if you go around fighting with that sword."

Riku raised an eyebrow, "Alright then," Before Riku could question the man, the strange monster from before appeared behind him. Tensing up, Riku could not resist the instinct to summon his trusty Way to Dawn.

Oak frantically started waving his arms again, "Now young man! Please calm down o-or I'm going to have to ask you to leave this world."

Taking a deep breath, Riku dismissed his weapon and took a less threatening pose. He didn't like this new "no fighting with your keyblade or any other weapon for that matter" world but knew he had to adapt, "So, what is that… uhhh…"

Oak smiled, "This here is a Pokémon, a Krabby to be specific. I'm taking care of him for now and we came out here to write some poetry."

Riku looked at the creature, _Krabby._ It looked like a very large version of the crabs back on the islands albeit with larger legs and pincers. The top half of its body was an orange-red tone while the bottom was more of a beige color. It looked up at Riku with abnormally large eyes and Riku could have sworn that, if it was possible, the crab-monster was smiling at him. He then noticed yet another monster, Pokémon was it, clutching professor Oak's leg. This one was smaller than the Krabby, with a more humanoid appearance. Its body seemed to be white except for a large green helmet looking object over most of its face that had twin pink horns that ran down the center of the creature's head. When it noted that Riku was staring at it, it flinched and hid farther behind the Professor.

"And who is this guy?" Riku asked as he knelt down to the creature's eye level. It tried to shield itself from Riku's gaze by shirking behind the professor's leg.

"Oh, this little guy. Why this is a Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. He is very shy so I brought him out to the fields hoping he might open up a little bit." Oak sighed as the Ralts started to tremble, "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working. Ralts is affected by people's emotions and well, no offence, but you don't seem to be the epitome of happiness. Negativity and hostility causes it to hide. N-no offence!"

"No, it's ok." Riku said, briefly looking up to Professor Oak.

_Happy, huh? This is more of Sora's area of expertise but… _

Riku took a deep breath and broke into a smile that could rival Sora's, "It's ok little guy! I'm not going to hurt you; I'm one of the good guys!" Riku smile grew a bit subdued lest he look like an axe-murderer, "I'm Riku."

The Ralts slowly peaked out at Riku. Taking short hesitant steps, it slowly made its way out to the crouching boy. Looking up, or Riku presumed this was happening as the helmet prevented him from actually seeing the creature's eyes; the Ralts lifted a hand, "Ra-Ralts!"

Oak chuckled, "It seems like Ralts has taken a liking to you. Would you like to keep him?"

"Wh-what?" Riku's bewildered eyes met Oak's.

"Yes, didn't I tell you? On this world we fight using Pokémon. If you want to fight you are going to need one."

"But isn't this Pokémon yours?"

A smile graced Oak's face, "Well yes, but I was training it to give it to another someone who would be starting their journey soon. You seem to fit that bill, don't you, Riku."

"I don't want to be an inconvenience. And anyway, I'm not supposed to medd—"

Before Riku could finish talking Professor Oak took out a small red and white ball that shot out a red light at Ralts. Riku cried out as the small Pokémon vanished in a flash red light with a final, "Ralts?" that sounded like a mixture of confusion and sadness.

"What did you do? Where did he go?" Riku let out a burst of anger that made Oak flinch although he did not back down.

"It's alright. He is just in this." Oak held up the small red and white ball, "Pokémon are usually kept inside Poké Balls. This is Ralts'." Oak started to walk away, "Follow me."

Curious and in need of a guide in the nature of the world, Riku followed.

As they neared a building, Riku couldn't help but speak up, "Are you going to explain all of this or am I going to have to guess?"

Oak gave a small chuckle, "I'll tell you what I tell everyone when they start their Pokémon journey."

The building turned out to be a combination of a house and a laboratory with Pokémon and Poké Balls as far as the eye could see, "Pokémon and humans are companions in this world. They create unbreakable bonds that last for lifetimes whether it is through training or traveling or something else entirely; people and Pokémon grow and come together to form something incredible. Now, in this world, people fight using Pokémon. I know what you are thinking, go ahead and ask." Oak fixed Riku with a stare, "You think it is cowardly, don't you? Don't be ashamed, your predecessors thought in the same way."

Riku looked at Oak in the eye, "I thought that at first, but you must have a reason."

Oak gave a small smile, "You actually gave me a chance to explain before yelling at me about hiding behind my Pokémon like a coward! I like you, Riku; you are much more mature than Xehanort or Eraqus!" Oak began to laugh, "Anyway, you are correct. People fight using Pokémon, but they do not fight wars with them. They fight battles to show their… proficiency in training their Pokémon. It helps them bond. Also, Pokémon fight in the wild on their own so it is not against their nature. I will not deny that there are people who aim to do harm with their Pokémon but there are always those who protect the Pokémon from the horror of those people. Children are given their first Pokémon at the age of ten, but since you just arrived on this world, I'll give you one now along with a Pokédex. They'll help you blend in. Since Ralts has already taken a liking to you, you can have him." Oak tossed the Poké Ball containing the emotion Pokémon to Riku.

"Th-thank you." Riku spluttered out, knowing that Oak would not take 'No' for an answer.

"Why don't you give him a nickname? It'll help you bond." Oak said as he walked off to get supplies for Riku.

Staring at the small ball, Riku pressed the button on the rim and it popped open, "Ralts!" In a flash of white Ralts had appeared in front of Riku.

"Hey there little guy. Man, you are a midget." Riku gave a smile to the shaking Pokémon as he bent down to its eye level, "How about that as a nickname: Midge?"

The Ralts looked up, or he assumed it was looking up, at Riku and bobbed its head back and forth.

"Ok, from now on you're Midge," Riku declared as Midge inched closer to him.

"Good. Well now that you two are a bit more acquainted I'll give you your supplies." Oak held out the items he had gone to fetch. In one hand he had a small rectangular piece of metal that seemed to have a cover that slid up and down. In the other he held a white bag with a blue band that reminded Riku of a Poké Ball, "In that bag there is an Xtransceiver, it'll let you communicate with others who you've exchanged contact information with. I've taken the liberty of putting my number in it just in case something comes up."

Riku took the supplies and noticed that the bag had other items, "What are these?"

"Oh, those are just some extra items that I thought you might need, especially since you are just starting out."

"You've already given me a great deal, I can't accept any—"

"That's nonsense Riku! And anyway, consider it payment since you are basically doing me a service!"

"What do you mean?"

"That metal thing is called a Pokédex, I just ask that when you see a new Pokémon to record it in your Pokédex. You see, I'm a Pokémon researcher and filling up that Pokédex with information on the Pokémon of the world is my goal. Every time you encounter a Pokémon, data is recorded in the Pokédex. It could also help you differentiate the Pokémon from your enemies!"

Riku looked the small device over, "Thank you, Professor Oak. I'll take care of Ral- Midge."

"Good. Don't forget to catch lots of Pokémon and to treat them well. Your bond will strengthen with every battle."

"Of course." Riku nodded as he headed back out to the grassy area.

* * *

I cracked my eyes open; my head thrummed as I looked around. A sea of black, which was rivaled only by the darkness that had consumed me many years ago, was all that could be seen. I hugged myself as my body began to shake. Panic threatened to consume my mind as I recalled what had happened in the past.

I started to run forward, trying to find a glimmer of light, a beacon of hope in the landscape. Shapes formed before me as I ran, twisting and contorting into horrifying shapes. Tortured faces screamed in silent agony, clawed beast lunged at anything that moved, while warped figures bended and danced in a perverted manor to an unheard tune. However before anything could reach me, they would fade back into the dark. As I picked up the pace to escape the figures, I discovered that the floor was crumbling after my feet left the ground.

My eyes searched frantically for something to take my mind off of the creatures. I started losing track of myself; I could no longer find my limbs in the darkness as I continued to move forward and the rest of my body soon faded into a distant memory. I was a conscious force moving through the dark. A scream ripped through the air and I was unsure if one of the figures had broken their silent vigil or if I had screamed. What did it mean to be "I" anyway? Who was I? What was this? Why was I moving so fast? If I stop, will the heavy feeling go away?

The pace that the figures flew by slowed. Then they all started to flinch away from something. What was it?

A small glimmer pierced the dark. I wanted to move away but I started to get closer. My legs, yes I have legs, started to move faster and faster, trying to get to the glimmer. Tears drenched my cheeks; I touched them to confirm that my face was real. Yes, I remember now, I was Sora: Keyblade wielder and warrior of light.

The glimmer grew until it became, what seemed like a large arched doorway with black glass. It wasn't exactly the light I had been hoping for but it was better than pure darkness.

I stepped forward and a faint reflection came into view. But just like last time, it wasn't me. The same golden eyes from before, sharpened as I took another step forward.

"Who are you! Why do you look like me?" I cried putting on my best glare.

"That isn't really your problem. You're just a stupid reflection." The boy sneered as he fidgeted with a black cloak, "This is why I hate these damn things. Body suits are much easier to manage."

"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm not the refection, you are!" I brought my fist forward trying to break the black glass.

"Pathetic. Then why are you the one looking out of the mirror." The boy responded without looking up from his task.

"I'm not—" Before I finished, I noted the white walls on the other side along and my last dream, "W-wait, how are you— Why am I here?"

"Hell if I know but I've gotta say, Sora, you are pretty weird. If I were you, I would have already killed that weak 'friend', Riku and taken that girl, Kairi." He looked up; face distorted in a feral grin I never imagined my face could make, "Such a pure light. I can't wait till this is over and I can go corrupt it with beautiful darkness."

"You stay away from her!" I screech. My attempts to summon my keyblade are met with emptiness, so I resort to punching away at the glass with my bare fists. I can feel warmth coating my hands and something drips down the glass but I don't care. I won't let that monster touch Kairi.

"Just like Ventus, so easy to manipulate! I can't believe, with your strength, someone hasn't killed you yet. The master must be slipping; maybe I can take this operation of his." The boy looked off into the side where I knew a door lay, "But, I'm already late so, although I wish I could stay and make you suffer some more, Reflection, I must be off."

The boy raised his hands and curled his fingers. As his hand formed a fist, the glass mirror exploded. The shockwave threw me back; the glass shards embedding themselves into my flesh as the dark took over once more.

* * *

The first thing Sora felt was the grass under his belly. His body felt phantom pains where the glass had cut him but otherwise he felt alright.

Sora peaked out of one eye and found two concerned pink and white eyes staring at him, "Darkrai, he is awake."

"AHH!" Sora cried as he tried to scramble away from the creature. In his haste, he didn't notice the change. Flipping backward he landed on his back, head thumping the ground and four legs sticking up in the air.

"Are you alright?" the creature cried. It had a yellow pointed yellow face with two, bananas or crescent moons Sora couldn't decide, framed its face along with a large pink gem on what seemed like its forehead. A long neck connected its head to the body and three strange pink half circles adorned it.

"Y-yeah…" Sora nodded as he tried to see his altered body.

He could tell that he had four legs, like in the Pride Lands, and he was covered in dark gray, almost black, fur. His feet had tuffs of red fur and it felt like he had a ruff of fur around his neck along with his crown necklace. Going cross eyed, Sora noted the pointed snout he now possessed; he ran his tongue around his maw and discovered two small canines.

"Good. We could both tell that it was a bad nightmare you were having." A new voice joined the awkward duo.

Sora turned to find a large floating back creature. It had a smoke-like white hair billowing from its head and one piercing blue eye. Around its neck there seemed to be red, spiky, teeth shaped growth. The rest of its body was pitch black and became very narrow at the waist area; the bottom of its body looked like ripped cloth. Its two black clawed hands reached toward Sora as he stumbled back.

"Please. Don't be scared. I didn't cause your nightmare." The thing said.

"I-I didn't think that you had. Why would you think that?" Sora's head tilted to the side as the blue eye avoided his.

"Do you… not know who I am? What I do?" The air seemed to thicken.

"No. Should I?" The innocence in Sora's tone appeared to shock the other occupants of the area.

Without answering the creature began to float away, "Darkrai, please do not leave." The pink and yellow being said.

The creature, Darkrai, stopped and hovered in one spot, "And why shouldn't I, Cresselia. The Zorua is awake and no longer plagued. I have no more need to be a part of this."

"That is not the point Darkrai. You said it yourself, this Zorua appeared before you. It seemed like he was teleported and perhaps he was. But that must have a reason if not his dreams! I could not cure this Zorua's bad drea—"

"Umm… Excuse me but my name is Sora not Zorua." Sora took a tentative step forward and fell on his face. How was he supposed to walk on stubs? Those weren't feet, they were stubs!

The pink one, Cresselia, put on a burst of speed, "Are you alright?" she hovered near Sora, reminding him of a concerned mother, "You said your name was Sora. Do you have a trainer?"

Sora was unsure what Cresselia meant. A trainer? Well, mostly they trained on the islands but he never really had a definite _trainer_, "No, I don't."

Cresselia looked him over once more then backed up and turned to Darkrai, "He is wild but obviously confused. I think you should teach him about his powers."

Darkrai bristled, "Why me? You know that I'm trying to keep from hurting others, from causing them distress and suffering… Giving me someone to _teach_ would only make it worse. Why don't you teach him or better yet give him back to his family who can teach him themselves?"

"I am a psychic type Darkrai. Me teaching him would be like a fire type Pokémon instructing a water type. As for his family, I doubt they are anywhere near here. I have seen very few Zoruas in this area. He appeared to _you_; it is your responsibility to take care of him."

Darkrai faced away from Cresselia. Sora wanted to break the silence but knew he shouldn't, "Well, you heard her. I doubt that either of us will be able to convince her otherwise, come on." Darkrai started to drift away, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Go with him. He will explain everything." Sora felt Cresselia nudge him forward.

Seeing that it would be difficult to attain a guide to this world, one where there were no humans, Sora followed the brooding Pokémon.

He found Darkrai to be at eye level with himself, "Get on my back." The command was simple enough, but it made Sora wish that he had been given the ability to fly on this world (or at least been taller); it would have helped his current position.

Trying to avoid causing discomfort or pain, Sora gingerly clambered up on Darkrai's back. It wasn't easy as Sora still wasn't used to his new body, but once he finally settled on the Pokémon's back, Sora was exhausted from the effort. Wary, Sora put his head down and stared out to the ocean. It was only then that he realized that he was on an island. From his small perch, he could see it was marked by trees and a gently swaying grass. Letting his eyes glaze over, Sora almost didn't notice the flight over the blue water.

"We have arrived." Sora perked up at the sound of Darkrai's call. They had reached a moderately sized island. Trees littered the area but it still seemed desolate.

Sora jumped off Darkrai's back and attempted to walk only to receive a face full of dirt, "Where are we?"

"Newmoon Island." Darkrai floated off without another word.

"Do you live here?" Sora inquired as he bounded along, his steps more like small hops.

"Yes."

"It seems lonely. Do you have any friends?" Sora looked up at the stationary Darkrai.

"No. No one would ever want to be friends with me and the feeling is mutual." Darkrai continued forward.

Sora's face scrunched up. Darkrai was acting just like Riku, and Sora would be damned if he didn't try and help, "Well why not? You seem pretty cool to me."

"You do not understand!" Darkrai turned to face Sora, eye full of rage, "I am a threat! I hurt everyone around me; that is why I chose to live on this desolate island. Alone. This way I won't cause harm." Darkrai turned away, "But now Cresselia has saddled me with you."

"Why is that bad?"

"We may both be dark type Pokémon but—"

"Wait wait wait! I am not dark! I'm a warrior of light!" Sora glared at Darkrai's figure. How dare he even suggest that?

"I did not mean that you were dark, as in your being, but as in your Pokémon type."

"What is a 'Pokémon' anyway?" Sora was starting to get fed up with this world. Why would Riku come here anyway?

"You are a Pokémon, a Zorua to be exact."

"O-oh… I knew that..." Sora stated lamely, trying to cover up his fatal blunder.

"Of course you did." Darkrai mumbled sarcastically as he led Sora in between the trees, "Cresselia wanted me to show you how to use your powers. I don't pretend to be an expert in the workings of a Zorua but I can manage. Do you know what you can do?"

Sora fidgeted for a minute. It was true that he didn't know what he could do in this form but had no doubt that he could figure it out in due time. However, if he had a guide, he could focus more on finding and helping Riku. It was also risky: a creature, Pokémon, that didn't know its own power. He had already messed up on not knowing what a Pokémon was; perhaps this would be pushing it too far.

Sora made his choice, "No, I don't know."

"Alright then. Zoruas are dark type Pokémon," Sora growled, "that use illusions to protect themselves. They—"

"So that means I can use illusions?" Sora bounced as he imagined the possibilities. No one would ever see him coming!

"Yes, you can use illusions," Darkrai suppressed a chuckle as he watched the young Pokémon's excitement, "Why don't you try?"

"How?" Sora wondered aloud. He knew that there was magic that allowed the user to cast illusions; someone told him that there was an Organization member that used it, but he had yet to learn about the magic.

"You are a Zorua. Trust your instincts." Darkrai floated over to a rock and landed on it, Sora assumed to take a seat.

"Ok." Closing his eyes, Sora tried to think of something. The first thing he thought of was himself. The form that he had taken in this world was abnormal. It may reflect that of the Pride Lands but it was still vastly different. Why would Riku want to come to a world like this? It seemed to be only populated by the strange creatures, Pokémon, as they were called. What did Riku become when he got here? Sora stifled a grin as he imagined Riku, big, tough Riku, who had always bested Sora in everything the two had done, as a small pink puffball prancing around in a field of flowers. Without thinking Sora jumped in the air and spun around. He was briefly wreathed in a pink light and when he came back down he was farther from the floor than before. Fist pumping the air, Sora gave a yelp of success and hoped into the air. His silver hair flew in all directions, wait _silver hair?_ Sora stopped and took a better look at himself. This wasn't his body; he didn't wear a white vest or light blue jeans. Sora brought his hands to his face as he started to spasm. He had turned into Riku. _Riku._ He was wearing Riku's ugly mug. He would never live the horror down.

"Congratulations, you have successfully used your powers of illusions." Darkrai said while his eye shown with laughter as he watched Sora's reactions.

"What the- why did I become Riku? I was trying to become me!" Sora yelled as he threw his hands up again.

"Become you? Why would you try to make an illusion of yourself? That would defeat the purpose." Darkrai tipped his head to the side curiously as Sora struggled to find an answer.

"Um… Well… You see… Uh… How I saw myself in my dream! Yeah, that's it!" a strange and toothy grin riddled with mischief stretched across Sora's face, which at the moment was Riku's.

"If that is what you say, then so be it. Continue to practice; you still have a tail. I will go get us some food." Darkrai floated up and started to fly over the sea.

_How weird,_ Sora thought as he turned trying to see his tail, _he didn't even react when I turned into a human. Is Riku that abnormal that he would blend in here?_ Sora laughed to himself as his face contorted in focus.

Eventually he was able to go back to his original form and tried to seize his tail. He caught it, rolled over on his back trying to bite it, but it was far too fluffy and slipped out of his grasp. He scraped himself up onto his stubby feet and chased it again. He repeated the process until he was left on the ground panting. Feeling humiliated after being defeated by his own tail, Sora once again began to create illusions. In the end, Sora had mastered transforming into various forms including himself, Riku, Donald, Goofy, the King, Master Yen Sid, Kairi, Roxas, Xemnas, Xigbar, and Darkrai. However, all of his forms still retained his tail.

As time continued to pass, Sora noted that the sun was starting to rise_._ _I bet if I were in some story, I'd be thinking something philosophical about dawn,_ Sora mused to himself as he stretched out in the incoming rays. Darkrai still hadn't returned and Sora started to get bored. He could only spend so much time in the center of the island entertaining himself by transforming into his enemies and making funny faces at a rather large puddle.

Eyeing a rock, Sora tried to summon his keyblade and smash it. When the weapon appeared in his mouth, Sora fell forward onto his face. Attempting to rub his aching muzzle, Sora started to mumble to himself. How was he supposed to fight when he couldn't even hold his weapon? Trying to muster the strength to lift the keyblade, Sora felt a strange power fill his body and he approached the rock. Without hesitation, Sora sucker punched the rock causing it to shatter.

"What was that?" Sora cried as he looked at where the rock had been.

"Faint Attack, it is one of your moves." Sora whipped around to find Darkrai floating by, "You can use your moves to fight and no doubt that you will need to. In this world, there are some that seek to capture wild Pokémon and force them to fight."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Sora asked.

"I do not know. I have never been captured. You see, the ones that capture Pokémon keep them in small spherical prisons. From there they can be carried anywhere. Some Pokémon are lucky. They get a kind trainer or don't have to fight at all. Some are kept as pets. Others are forced to participate in pageants while others are left to rot in a box, never to see the light of day again. But the fighters, the trainers, are not the worst of the lot." Darkrai turned away, "The worst… are the groups that capture us for their own sick experiments. Many of the trainers capture us for their own schedules; they want to prove to the rest of the world that they are the best is the most common, but these jail keepers are different. They have no boundaries, no moral. Their brutality is taken to a new level and almost no Pokémon that is within their grasp comes out the same."

"Why would anyone do that to another being? Why would Pokémon attack, imprison, and hurt each other?" Sora's confused voice echoed across the island. It was true that he knew that not everyone was kind to each other; there was usually that one person who managed to hurt others, but he wished that people would stop hurting each other. And, in this world, it seemed even worse; there were multiple groups that banded together to hurt those of their own species. They even enslaved them.

"Sora, Pokémon are not the ones who capture others in Poké Balls."

"Then what who—"

"Would you look at that? I guess the information was right." A new voice joined the group.

"The Darkrai rumored to live here is real." A second intruder made themselves know.

"Yep! And look at that Zorua! Another rare catch for the boss."

Sora turned around to find a trio of beings on a large metal robot. Two of them were humans, _humans_, and the last seemed to be a beige cat that was standing on its back legs with a large golden oval on its head, "Who are you? I thought there were no humans on this world!"

"Would you look at that? The Zorua can talk." A blue haired young man said. His short hair framed his face and he wore a white jacket with a red "R" over a black shirt and white pants.

"An even rarer Pokémon to boot! This'll fetch a hefty praise from the boss, but I think he asked who we are." A pink haired lady with long hair arranged in one curl sneered out the comment; her eyes trained on Sora.

"Let's answer then," the blue haired man said casually.

"Prepare for trouble,"

"Make it double,"

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nations,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jesse,"

"James,"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight,"

"Meowth, that's right!"

Sora eyed the strange newcomers when a thought flitted across his mind, "Wait, if there are humans on this world then why am I a Pokémon? I'm not a Pokémon; I'm human!" Sora fumed as he glared at the humans, Jesse and James.

"Well, aren't you a confused little Pokémon," the humanoid cat, Meowth, said.

"I'm not confused! I'm a—"

"Yes, we heard you're _human_. But what matters now is that you are a Pokémon, and a rare one at that." James, the blue haired man, stretched his hand out, "Go Amoonguss!" From behind the trio, a large mushroom creature with two arms that ended in two circles that were half red and half white jumped out, "Quick use Hidden Power!"

Before Sora could react, Darkrai pushed him out of the way, "MOVE!" he yelled as Sora took off on his feet barely avoiding the green orbs that crashed into the ground where he had been standing.

"Looks like they are playing hard to get, Frillish use Mist!" the lady, Jessie, yelled.

"Keep moving!" Darkrai called as the duo lost their sense of sight.

Sora heard Darkrai grunt followed by a cry and a loud thud, "Frilllish! Why you little- Woobat use gust!"

Darkrai reappeared next to Sora as a harsh blast of wind blasted past throwing Sora into the air and clearing some of the mist. Before he could go too far, Darkrai reached out, caughting Sora's small form as he dove behind a rock, "Stay here. They are after me. I'm going to destroy one of their containment units so they can only take me. Cresselia will probably come soon. Go with her."

"Darkrai wait!" Sora almost jumped out from behind the rock as Darkrai let out a beam of black and purple circles at the enemies.

"He destroyed one of our containment pods!" James's voice shouted, "Amoonguss use Stun Spore!" An orange powder appeared above Darkrai as he body came crashing to the ground next to Sora.

"Darkrai!" Sora cried as his mentor struggled to get up.

"R-run away," Darkrai muttered as he once again tried to stand.

"No! I won't abandon you!" Before Darkrai could protest, Sora activated his illusions and jumped out from behind the rock.

"Sora, no!"

"There he is, that pesky Darkrai! Get 'em!" Meowth hollered.

The same wind from before skimmed Sora's head as he headed toward the trio that had begun the attack. They were going to pay for attacking his friend.

"Amoonguss, Body Slam let's go!" A large shadow appeared above Sora. Before he could react, the mushroom Pokémon that had paralyzed Darkrai smashed into his body, blasting him off course.

Jessie reached for a remote next to her as she said, "And now, let's catch that Pokémon!" She pressed a red button and Sora found himself caught in the claw of the robot.

James joined his partner, "And to make sure you don't try anything funny," another button was activated causing electricity to course through Sora's body.

"And just to make sure you don't go anywhere!" Meowth pointed at a small cylindrical glass object where Sora was slammed into. The lid slid shut with a 'hiss'.

"What about the Zorua?" James wondered as Sora's prison was brought into the machine.

"We'd have to catch it the old fashion way; Darkrai broke all of our other containment pods," Jessie muttered, "We have Darkrai anyway; it was all the boss asked for."

Sora struggled to keep the illusion stable as he looked back out at the island before the doors closed cutting off the light, _Cresselia will be there soon to help Darkrai. He'll be fine. _Sora started to nod off, _I understand why I was made into a Pokémon: the people in this world are cruel; I don't think I could force another beings to fight like that._

As the machine's started to hum, indicating that it was moving away from Newmoon Island, Sora started to drift off and his illusion faded. The last thing the small Zorua heard before darkness took over was an elated voice cry, "Next stop: Unova!"

* * *

S: I can't believe you made me edit during the Oscars.

Z: Stop whining.

S: YOU MADE ME EDIT DURING THE FREAKING OSCARS!

Z*smack* What part of "stop whining" don't you understand? I wanted to get the chapter out today.

S: Grr. It's too nerdy though. Take it off the site so I can fix it again!

Z: No. Deal with it.

S: *grumble*

Z: At least you got to write about Sorua.

S: He is so cute!


	4. Chapter 4

**We do not own Kingdom Hearts or Pokémon or anything.**

"There are so many strange creatures on this world." Riku mumbled to himself as another flock or Pokémon, what had the professor called them, "Tranquills" passed by the window of the plane. Riku had caught a break when he found Professor Oak. Not only had he been informed about the world where he had landed, Oak had also been able to provide him with free transportation to a region where crime had recently started to rise, Unova.

"You okay back there Riku?" a voice cried out from the cockpit.

"Yeah Skyla, I'm fine!" Riku responded before returning his attention to the window. Fluffy clouds interlaced with Pokémon floated by as the plane flew along its course.

"We should be in Mistralton City soon. You can already see the Unova region from the window."

Riku crammed his head into the small window to try and see the approaching landmass. Deciding to take Professor Oak's advice, he pulled out his Poké Ball and released Ralts.

"Ra?" a meek and confused voice said before getting a better view of its surroundings. Within two seconds of being outside of his Poké Ball, Ralts had clung to Riku's leg and was shivering frightfully.

"What's the matter, Midge? You scared?" Riku could have smacked himself at the obvious answer to his question.

"Ra-Ralts," the poor Pokémon muttered before burying his face once more into Riku's leg.

"Come 'ere little guy," Riku bent down and pulled the squirming Pokémon onto his lap, "Look here." As the trembling slowly resided, Ralts removed his hands from his face and came face to face with his first bird's eye view of the world. Riku shared the happiness that radiated from the small psychic Pokémon as he started to take in the sky, "Try looking down." Riku suggested.

A slight warmth seeped out of Ralts's skin as both his and Riku's wonder and joy increased. Bellow them the ground was dotted with forests and clusters of Pokémon.

The two stared at the scenery in a peaceful bliss until the plane gave a sudden jolt.

"Hey! Is everything okay up th—" The plane gave another unsightly shake before a red light filled the cabin. Riku shielded his eyes before he felt the air around him warm up before it chilled as he was thrown forward. Opening his eyes, Riku noted that something was missing, something very important.

The front of the plane.

Twisting around to rip his seatbelt off, Riku heard a sharp cry and saw Ralts fly out of his hands and into the air.

"MIDGE!" Riku screamed as he was released from the seat and pushed himself out of plane. He could see the flailing Pokémon as he spread his arms out to slow his decent, "Midge!"

The frightened creature didn't seem to notice Riku as the two came closer. Without thinking, Riku grabbed onto Ralts and pulled his body into a tuck, trying to shield his friend. The wind bit into his exposed arms as his velocity increased. Knowing he might get hurt if he was going too fast when he landed, Riku forced his body to go spread-eagle before he got too close to the ground.

Noticing an approaching tall tree, Riku turned in the opposite direction and shot out a ball of fire. As the spell was cast, Riku and Ralts were propelled toward the incoming tree. Riku hit the tree, feet first, and slid down the branch, catching onto another branch with his open hand. Swinging toward a different tree, Riku flipped once in the air before landing on the trunk and pushing off toward the original tree. As his feet hit the first tree's trunk, he used it to jump into the air, flipping once more before sailing down into a nearby open clearing.

As he looked up, Riku noted an unlucky strange dark gray, bird, Pokémon, bird- Pokémon thing, that he had never seen before, struggling to maneuver thought the falling wreckage of the plane. As Riku set down his trembling Pokémon, his Xtransceiver started to beep.

"Riku! Are you okay?" Riku looked into the small screen as it lit up with Skyla's face.

"Yeah, I'm on the ground and okay. What about you?"

"I'm fine. I'm on my Skarmory right now but it can only carry one person. There is a town about three miles west, think you can make it?" A worried and guilty look crossed Skyla's face as she avoided eye contact through her Xtransceiver.

Riku smiled, "Yeah, I'll be fine. It'll be good practice, but what happened up there?" Riku could see Skyla tense up.

"I have no idea. One minute we were flying just fine and the next, well, it felt like something hit us." Skyla bit her lip, "The problem is, even if there was something big enough to send the plane spiraling toward the ground, it shouldn't have been able to rip the plane in half. You'd need a Pokémon or a giant laser to do that."

Riku looked up at the falling wreckage and noted strange materials falling from father up then the plane. Something else had been in the air with them.

"We'll figure it out later. For now I think I'll start heading toward the town. I'll meet you there." Riku said.

"Okay but be ca—"

Before Skyla could finish, the Xtransceiver let out a spark and a puff of smoke as the screen went black. Ripping the sparking contraption off of his wrist with a flick, Riku stared at it from afar before taking a closer look. There was a piece of debris from the crash that had embedded itself into the communication device. With a clearer understanding of what caused the failure, Riku was surprised it had lasted as long as it had.

Picking up the device with one hand and putting the other on his hip, Riku took a look around at the forest as he realized: he didn't know which way was west. A sigh escaped his lips as he fell back into the grass and placed his face in his hands. A soft voice brought his mind back to his predicament, "Ra-Ralts?"

"You okay Midge?" Riku peaked out from bellow his hands, hoping that he was displaying some sort of Sora-like comfort.

"Ra-Ra!" The small Pokémon cried before shuffling around Riku prodding him occasionally.

"Midge, what's wrong?" Riku asked as he sat up.

The small Pokémon tilted its head upwards, "Ralts," it cried as it pointed at Riku and then at the trees that Riku had propelled himself off of as he landed.

"Oh, that," Riku finally understood, "I'm fine Midge, really. Trust me that was nothing." Riku gave a slight smile as he watched the Ralts fidgets, "Come on. Let's eat something before we go into town."

Tossing his broken Xtransceiver into his pack, Riku searched through the bag until he found some food.

"Let's see, Professor Oak said Pokemon like poffins and berries, and here they are." Riku mumbled to himself as he pulled out the items, "Midge, come here. We are going to- Hey!"

Riku just managed to miss a Pokémon that came down trying to swipe some food. As Riku stood up, preparing to protect the food, he noted the erratic manner that the Pokémon was flying at. It seemed to be solely focused on the food, not on the threat that both Riku and, to some extent, Ralts.

As it swung back around to try and attain some of the food, Riku reached out and plucked it from the air. The small creature wormed around in Riku's grip, trying to break free to no avail. Its head was mostly white, with a halo of black fur around the edges and encircling the round ears. Its small black eyes were riddled with anger and hunger. Two yellow ovals at its cheeks sparked with electricity. Riku heard a worried yelp from Ralts as he tugged on Riku's pants.

A bright spark of lightning that pulsated out of the Pokémon did little damage to Riku, he assumed that it was going to try and attack him and had braced himself before hand. Both Pokémon shared a shocked expression as the light faded and an unharmed Riku was exposed.

Riku gave the small Pokemon a strange look, "Are you hungry?"

The small creature stopped struggling and stared at Riku. Slowly it gave a small but unmistakable nod.

Riku returned the nod and let go of the Pokémon revealing the thin yellow flaps of skin that attached to its arms and body. It rounded Riku's head once before settling down next to his bag, much to Ralts's displeasure. The two Pokémon eyed each other awkwardly and Riku couldn't say he blamed them. In fact, he shared their feelings of unease.

As he pulled out the poffins, both Pokémon shifted closer until they bumped into each other. When their skin made contact, the two jumped apart; Ralts landed with a loud "thump" and the flying Pokémon hovered a while away.

Riku leaned over Ralts, "You okay there Midge?" He picked up the small Pokémon and turned it over, looking for wounds. When he found none, he set Ralts on the ground and returned to fishing out food from his bag. As he did so, small weight settled on his shoulder, waited for a minute, then flew off to the other shoulder, "You know. I wish I knew what you were." Riku mumbled, mostly to himself as the Pokémon changed shoulders for the fifth time.

As he reached once more into the bag, he pulled out the small red contraption that Professor Oak had given him, the PokéDex.

"Oh right, I can check with this thing." Riku picked it up and shook the machine, wondering how it worked. As he continued to shake it, two of the sides slid open revealing a screen.

"Emolga, the Sky Squirrel Pokémon. Emolga lives in the air and uses its cape-like membrane to glide through the air." The PokéDex spurred out in a mechanical voice.

"An Emolga, huh? So that's what you're called." Riku said as he offered both of the Pokémon a poffin. Ralts ate his behind Riku occasionally peeking out to watch the Emolga who was flipping through the air. It giddily landed next to Ralts and offered part of its poffin to the trembling Pokémon with a smile. After a few seconds, Ralts took the poffin and gave out some of its in return.

"Em-Em!" It cried as it ate the poffin and took off into the air, settling on Riku's head.

"Come on little guy. It's time to get off." Riku said as he picked the Emolga off his head, "You sure are a happy little guy, aren't you?"

The Emolga smiled and flapped its arms, "Em-Em!"

Riku returned the gesture, "You remind me of my friend, I had to leave him behind when I came here but he is safer there. Sora…"

"Em-Emolga!" It cried again as it squirmed in Riku's grip.

"Sora? Do you like that name?" Riku cocked his head to the side as Emolga grinned again and waved its tiny paws in excitement, "Do you want to come with me and Midge?"

Riku released Emolga into the air where it hovered for a second before plunging into Riku's bag. "Mmmm!" It cried as it dragged a Poké Ball out and nudged it toward Riku.

Riku laughed, "Alright then, Sora, welcome to the team." He tossed the Poké Ball at the newly admitted member, the Emolga Sora. A red light enveloped the Pokémon as it was transferred into the Poké Ball. For a while the Poké Ball twitched and jittered.

Riku remembered Professor Oak talking about the stage, if the Pokémon was caught, the Poké Ball would stop moving and make a hollow sound. If the Pokémon wasn't caught it would emerge from the Poké Ball.

As Riku watched the small red and white object he started feeling a plummeting in his stomach. His palms became wet and he became aware that he was squinting at the ball. He now understood why the people of this world were so obsessed with the thrill of Pokémon. It was exhilarating.

But it still didn't top sword fighting.

Riku, being the wandering mind that he was, almost missed the Poké Ball final twitch before it became stationary. Almost not believing what had happened, Riku reached down and plucked the Poké Ball off the ground, "Sora let's go!" He cried for no good reason.

In a flash of red light, Emolga appeared from the Poké Ball, "Em-Em!" it cheered as it circled Riku's head.

"Alright, alright, settle down. Hey, do you know where the closest town is, Sora?" Riku asked as Emolga landed on the ground next to Ralts.

"Emolga!" before Riku could try and comprehend the comment, Emolga took off in the direction of a large mountain.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Riku yelled as he grabbed his pack and Ralts while sprinting off in an attempt to catch up to his new companion.

Sora could say, without a doubt, that this was one of the most uncomfortable places he had ever been in his life. He'd been rudely awoken from a most joyous dream: his head on Kairi's lap as she fed him Destiny Island's exclusive Super Chocolate Bonbon Delights. He could still taste the sweets on his tongue when she had bent down, her hair trailing on his face as she fed him another bonbon directly from her mouth. As she sat up to fetch another, Sora had noticed that she was wearing a very nice, V-cut shirt; Sora was unable to avert his eyes as Kairi bent down once more, giving him a very nice view of her b—

At that point in time, the container he was trapped in had given an almighty lurch, leading to his current predicament. Sora grumbled as he tried to shift his weight. His body groaned in protest; the previous fight had taken its toll on the new Pokémon. He almost cried out in relief when he realized he had remembered to stock up on supplies before leaving the islands. Usually it was Goofy who managed the items so Sora often found himself with an alarming lack of potions and ethers when alone.

Gulping down the sparkling green goop, Sora felt the strength returning to his limbs and was soon stretching out in his tiny enclosure. Taking in his surroundings, Sora noted that he no longer looked like Darkrai. His figured that his illusion had worn off when he had passed out.

Sora eyed his cage. It was made entirely out of glass and had a large metal band around the center. As he took a closer look, he noticed a keyhole on the metal band and gave a leap of joy. Keyholes meant keys and keys meant keyblades. He could escape!

Overcome with a mixture of happiness, Sora summoned his keyblade remembering only too late what happened last time. The extra weight from the keyblade in his mouth plowed him face-first into the floor with a loud 'Thunk'.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurt!" Sora yelped to himself as he unsuccessfully tried to rub his pained muzzle. His small Pokemon form didn't seem to be able to handle his keyblade. Why not his true self? Sora screwed his eyes shut and focused on his own form hoping to transform.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Sora ripped his eyes open and felt like howling. His body certainly beat him to the punch as he collapsed again in exhaustion. As he drank another potion, Sora berated himself mentally. He had underestimated the toll that his first illusions in combat had taken on his body; he had probably been using more power than necessary leading to his constant fatigue.

Looking up once more at the lock and then at his unusually heavy keyblade, Sora huffed in annoyance. He had already been bested by his tail; he was not adding his keyblade to the list too.

Thrusting his hind leg into the hilt of the keyblade, Sora wiggled his head under the silver shaft of the blade. A grunt escaped his clenched teeth as he heaved the keyblade onto his back and up into the air as he pointed it at the lock. A thin blinding stream of light shot out of the keyblade and hit the lock dead center. Sora heard a satisfying 'Clunk' as his weapon's magic unlocked the door to freedom. As the echo subsided, Sora collapsed on the ground and his keyblade vanished.

Breathing heavily, Sora swore right there and then that when he returned to the islands, no matter how much it crushed his pride, he would take: "Riku's get fit quick class. Get muscles like me, Riku, in less than five weeks with these simple to follow classes and training regimes. Just fork over 3000 munny Sora." Riku had been mocking him about his "noodle arms" lately to try and motivate Sora to train. How was he supposed to train day in and day out when the warm sand was calling to him, lulling him to sleep? It was one of the only places that he could sleep in peace anyway. He was exhausted on even his best days due to the nightmares that had plagued him ever since he had returned from the Mark of Mastery exam. Seeing a dark version of himself had been the last straw; he couldn't take just sitting around, stumbling through the terrors, while Xehanort ran around the worlds like a madman.

Pushing all depressing and pride-crushing thoughts aside, Sora jumped up onto the ledge of the cage in an attempt to leap out but instead ended up getting stuck, half his body on one side of the glass and the other precariously hanging off the other. As he flailed his front legs the balance that was sustaining him on the glass was disrupted; he tumbled out of the enclosure and onto a vent that cracked under the force.

Sora stood up on his four feet-stubs, "Why does everything in this world want to hurt me? Even the gravity doesn't like me!" Continuing to grumble to himself, Sora sniffed the cracked vent and then gave it a hard shove. Nothing happened.

Not wanting to summon his unusable keyblade, Sora walked around the vent hoping to figure out how to finish the job. He backed away from the area where it was and then ran at it, full-force. Before he was within a meter of the vent, he jumped high up into the air and assumed a ninja kick pose or as close to one as a Zorua can get. His feet hit the vent, causing a slight increase in the length of the crack, but not resulting in the desired effect.

Sora glared at the vent. Time to add one more thing to the "List of things that had bested Sora as a Zorua." He glanced around the room once more, hoping to find another, more accessible vent, or even better, an opening. Alas, Sora's search ended in failure.

Circling the vent once more, Sora wished, with all of his heart that he could still use his magic. He had yet to attempt the feat but was not feeling confident that it would work. Suddenly, a thought struck him: Pokémon had their own brand of "magic" that he had access to. Glaring once more at the rock, Sora felt the strange power from the clearing fill him. As he released it, he sucker punched the vent causing it to crumble. Sora gave a small leap of joy before sliding down the vent.

When the metal finally leveled out, Sora found himself glad that the path didn't fork and headed forward. He didn't really have a "plan" so to speak. If anything it would be to get out of the area as fast as humanly, well Pokémon-ly, possible.

Sora sauntered down the vent until he heard voices. Crouching down into a crawl, Sora approached the voices until he found himself nose-to-metal with a grate. Peering through the gaps, Sora noted that his captors were lounging in the room below.

"That Darkrai was a cinch to catch, don't you think?" the woman, Jesse laughed as she casually leaned back in her chair.

"A bit too easy." James mumbled as he crossed his eyes and stared at the window which Sora just realized displayed a beautiful landscape.

From the sky. They were really high up in the air. Really high up.

"Don't be like that. Now that we have that Darkrai the boss can finally go ahead with his plans." The weird cat creature, Meowth, said as he hopped from one foot to another. Sora was briefly reminded of a man who had stepped on hot coals when he was in Agraba.

Deciding it was too risky to try and confront the trio, Sora started to walk along across the vent in order to continue on the only path. Unfortunately for him, Lady Luck was not on his side, and he happened to wander across the only vent in the aircraft that couldn't support the weight of a Zorua.

Sora heard the creak of the breaking metal before the sudden plunge in his stomach and the crash into the control panels.

"The Zorua!" Sora heard one of the trio cry through his muddled thoughts.

"How'd that Pokémon get here?" Another yelled.

"Hey, Darkrai's escaped!" the third added to the confusion infecting the room.

"Moron, we never captured Darkrai! That Zorua's made a fool of us!" the second screamer, which Sora could now identify as the lady, screamed.

"Get 'em!" Meowth pointed at Sora as the trio pounce on the confused Zorua.

Acting purely on instinct, Sora jumped up onto James's head just as Team Rocket slammed into each other, temporarily dazing them. The moment of relief gave Sora enough time to regain his bearing and he quickly leaped away from the fuming man before he could be trapped.

Sora ran along the cold metal with flashing lights. He would late note how this looked remarkably like the computer in the Radiant Garden but for the moment he didn't even register the flashing buttons that activated as he crushed them underfoot in his haste. The transport jerked and twisted as its course was thrown off by a panicking Sora.

"Get away from that you little twerp!" the lady with crazy hair yelled as she pulled out a small red and white ball.

"No Jesse, you can't use that in here! You might accidently trigger something dange—" The man was cut off by a loud beeping.

"Firing Lasers," the mechanical voice said right before a bright light filled the cabin.

Sora, blinded by the sudden appearance of the light, slid and tumbled before coming to a halt.

"Gotcha now!" Meowth snarled as his claws slid out and glinted in the light. Sora took a step back, attempting to put on his best "tough face" and stepped on another button.

"Self-destruct activated. Termination in ten seconds." The mechanical voice from the sky spoke once more as fear entered Team Rocket's eyes.

"Why you little twerp! Go Frillish! Use Shadow Ball!" a large pink jellyfish creature appeared and brought her tentacles together before unleashing a large ball of darkness. Sora wasn't able to move fast enough in his new body to dodge and instead crashed into the window which broke under the force of the attack.

As the shards of glass imbedded themselves into his fur, some even worming their way to his flesh, Sora slid along the slick exterior of the ship, scrambling in panic to try and find a foothold. Before the death slide came to an end, a sickening "thunk" resonated from deep within the ship. The following explosion knocked the piece of, now debris, which Sora was on into the air. Unable to keep a hold of the metal, Sora found himself flailing in the air as his body tumbled down to earth.

_Please work._ Sora thought as he desperately pictured of one of the flying birds he had seen while at Darkrai's island. What had they been called? Starly? A bright magenta light coated his body as Sora stared momentarily at his new wings before remembering his predicament. Flapping as hard as he could, Sora called upon his magic hoping it would work. To his surprise, he found that he could still use a little bit of magic, although he could feel it eating at his energy reserve faster than usual.

Sora dodged the random bits of falling ship as he tried to learn how to use wings to fly, resorting to manipulating the wind when his wits failed him. He jerked closer and closer to the earth until he finally cleared the dangerous airspace and crashed into the trees, returning to his original form. As he thudded to the ground, Sora looked around frantically, expecting to see an enemy approaching. When he saw nothing but the rustling trees and the soft grass, he decided it was better to get as far away as he could from the dangerous trio. He was sure they were the super villains of the world and he hoped he would not meet with them again.

Without a second thought he took off into the woods.

- Sorua! Time Skip! -

The world was not being kind to Sora. He had been walking for the Worlds know how long. After being ambushed by rouge Pokémon, having the measly scrap of food he had found being taken by a passing Pidgy, whom he'd promptly chased to no avail, and worst of all being attacked by a pink-wielding She-Demon who had held him hostage until her aunt chased him away with a broom which he swore had poisoned spikes hidden in it, Sora was tired, hungry, and in desperate need of guidance.

His desperation only increased when he saw a floating ice-cream cone frolicking in a clearing. His first thought was that he was going insane. It wasn't possible; ice-cream can't fly. If not Roxas would have discovered a way to make it fly right into his mouth, but the complex Sora and Roxas conversations about ice-cream were better left for a less delusional Sora to dwell on. After some great head shaking and rapid eye-blinking, Sora concluded that the ice-cream cone was in fact real, and that lead to his next thought: lunch. Not once did Sora stop to consider the repercussions of said floating ice-cream and its mystery. Instead he pounced on it full force, intending to gobble up the swirly goodness as fast as his little Zorua mouth could go.

But then he heard the screaming.

He jumped off the ice-cream, his hero instincts urging at him to help the victim when he noticed that it had turned into muffled whimpering, "P-please don't hurt me Mr. Zorua! I didn't know this was your family's territory! I'll leave! I swear!" Sora turned to find the ice-cream shivering with tears filling the eyes Sora hadn't realized it had.

It was alive.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mea—" Before Sora could finish the ice-cream's eyes widened.

"RUN!" it screeched before taking off into the trees.

"Hey wait! I'm not going to hurt you!" Sora started to bound after the ice-cream when he was interrupted.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" a male voice said as Sora felt his body arc as though he had just been hit by a Thunder spell.

He collapsed on the ground, the fatigue from lack of food and rest finally catching up to him, left at the mercy of his attacker.

"Alright! Go Poké Ball!" the male voice said once more before Sora felt a strange sensation overcome his body. He suddenly didn't feel like himself but instead like a blob of energy, his physical makeup had been changed without his permission.

Then, everything went dark. Sora panicked as a growing feeling of claustrophobia clouded his senses. He struggled and clawed against the surface of the object, even using his remaining strength to conjure up a small fireball with his magic but nothing worked. His now energy-body stopped resisting as a hollow sound filled his ears and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**S: DONE! *happy dance***

**Z: Don't be "happy dancing" over there. This update took FOREVER!**

**S: *unconcerned* I had stuff I needed to do.**

**Z: STUFF! IT WAS OVER A MONTH!**

**S: Don't yell at me or I'll go call Riku to go all creepy on your butt!**

**Z: What are you talking about?**

**S: Riku. His voice actor seems to usually get a serial killer part in the shows I know. Serial killer, serial killer, religious son of a transvestite (but not a serial killer :D), serial killer, video game obsessed serial killer. Creeeepyyyyyy.**

**Z: …**


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